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The Forbidden City, lying at the city center and just North of Tienanmen Square and called
Gu Gong in Chinese, it was the imperial palace for twenty-four emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was first built
throughout 14 years during the reign of Emperor Chengzu in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Ancient Chinese Astronomers
believed that the Purple Star (Polaris) was in the center of heaven and the Heavenly Emperor lived in the Purple Palace. The
Palace for the emperor on earth was so called the Purple City. It was forbidden to enter without special permission of
the emperor. Hence its name 'The Purple Forbidden City', usually 'The Forbidden City'. his complex covers
183 acres. One could spend days and still not see all of it. I have added the following guide to help comprehend these
immense palace grounds.
This may be the room where the emperor summed the chosen concubine for a night of dalliance. These two youngsters were dressed in period costumes but they would not give up their smart phones! From the Forbidden City we boarded our bus and headed to the Summer Palace |
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